Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Good thing I'm writing this here blog for myself; otherwise, I'd quit. Pretty sure that everyone is at the beach!

Let's discuss a beech of another sort. My favorite tree, and I know that I've shared this before, is a tricolored beech. I shared it in autumn last year and so I wanted you to see it in summer.

Beech and Barn

It's called tricolor for the rose, green, and white of its leaves. Here, a closer look...

Pink Loveliness

Tricolored Beech Twig

As I was taking these photos the other day, I thought how pleasant an outdoor tea would be right under these branches. I'm planning one for tomorrow and you're invited, bring your imagination. By the way, do you have a favorite tree?﻿

Monday, August 1, 2011

Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance God and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. ~Kent Nerburn

~welcome to August~

Often I do a Mosaic Dud on Monday afternoon or late morning as the case may be. Sometimes I'm so good lazy that I don't. =}

This week I have several. The one above? Not good enough and done just this morning. The one below — rejected on the basis of being too much the same-old, same-old.

The day lilies are all but gone. I'm pleased that they made it all the way through July as that is not often the case. Since there was a large space without color, I purchased, at a deep discount, a wave petunia basket to hang there. It's not as lovely as the ditch lilies by a long shot, but pleasant all the same.

X marks the same tree

What do you add to your garden to fill the empty places? You green thumbs gals must have some tips!

John and I both have big projects started today. He's working on the fence and I'm working on the Irish linen.

John on the line; Irish linen on the line

Guess that I have wandered around long enough... Wait! One more little project to show you that my daughter made.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

My goal today was to tidy up the tea cups so that I could actually have a cup of tea without pawing through everything to find the matching saucer. Then I had a little brainstrom wondering if I could find tea cups that matched flower photos I've taken this summer. My only success was with the astilbe and the rose. Other than that, it is hodge-podge all over the place.

It's back to sorting and matching and readjusting storage space for me...

No matter how fiery the trial, the main thing is that you and I remember the temperature is ultimately regulated by God's sovereignty. It's also important to understand that we don't suffer our trials in isolation; we are part of a flock that is lovingly tended by faithful shepherds. Finally, we need to know that no matter how formidable our adversary, the power of God is available to help us endure. ~ Chuck Swindoll

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. You never saw Him, yet you love Him. You still don't see Him, yet you trust Him—with laughter and singing. I Peter 1:6–8 The Message

Saturday, July 30, 2011

So there's my mailbox sporting a Ramsign house number. (Bad, bad photoshopping.) I'm excited that I have a chance to win, too. How? By visiting A Delightsome Life where Kathy is also having a Ramsign Giveaway. She has done a great job telling more about the company and the product. Feel free to sign up here or there or here and there. I'm definitely signing up. As you can see, I would select Highlander as my favorite. Oh, here's a tip for you...not all of the thirty-three folks who have signed up are going to be included. Why? Not everyone let me know which style she would choose. That means that, currently, chances of winning are very good around here. (Oh, yes, I do believe in second chances so if you thought you had signed up, but kept your style a secret, feel free to slip back in there and reveal it.) You can find my post with all the details by clicking on the link at the top of my sidebar.

***

"Nonni, the best place to find kids' games is at PBS kids dot org." This as I fumbled about on my computer looking for something appropriate for Sam to play. I knew the day was coming when he'd know more than I; I just hadn't realized it would be so soon.

Sam even created an avatar and had great fun doing so. The resemblance between his avatar and himself is uncanny.

The blue hair and the blue eyes...oh yeah.

Our day with the grands ended at the top of the hill visiting our favorite ice cream stop. We munched our cones in silence watching the bulldozers destroy the woodlands and fields across the street. A casino is being built. Ugh. And they call this progress?

It's another beautiful day here. Hope the same can be said in your corner. Enjoy a marvelous weekend!

Edited to Add: If you can handle being sent in yet another direction, I have to share Sheila's story of receiving her Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbook win from me. It is told on *this post* of her wonderful blog Starshine Through My Windows.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Hmmm, my life's work is a bit too large for me to think about this fine morning. I do, however, have something for us all to ponder thanks to a commenter who asks interesting questions. I think it was the most interesting question I've been asked in a very long time. Hold that thought.

***

Yesterday morning was glorious with humidity low and temps in the 70s. I had some blueberries that I wished to use up and so headed directly for Mennonite Girls Can Cook where I did no searching whatsover for there Betty's recipe sat waiting to be snagged. When Betty said that this was her favorite coffee cake, I took her at her word. It certainly is delicious. *Betty's Coffee Cake* has no blueberries; mine does. Good thing I took this picture early as there are about two pieces left.

My life's work yesterday consisted of finishing off the afghan. I worked on it steadily through much of the day finishing it after nine in the evening. Since I was in no frame of mind to quit and make supper, John went out to fetch some pizza. Oh my!

It was some good now let me tell you. He ordered fresh tomato slices, green pepper, onion, and pepperoni. He can do that again soon. Yum. Funny thing about this is that there are only two pieces left as well.

And this is the afghan. I asked John what he thought and he said, "too short." Well tough. I've used up all the yarn and I'm not going to go looking for that brand or those colors since the yarn's been around for years now. It'll make a good throw or a good cover-up for some bad furniture.

***

Have you been holding that thought? Good for you!

Sometimes the best conversations are going on behind the scenes in comments as I'm sure you know. Lorrie asked me this question in comments on yesterday's post: Have you found that thinking of fodder for your blog causes you to look at life differently?

Now I ask you, is that not a great question? I did respond, if you're interested, but I'm very interested to know what you think? Has your working at coming up with blog topics caused you to look at life differently?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Four years ago? Really? Yes, it is true; I began blogging four years ago on this very date. Time does sail on by doesn't it? You'll howl to see what I thought was blog-worthy on *that first post.*

I had no intention of paying homage to my blogiversary until I was contacted by the good people at *RamSign* who would love to give one of my readers a beautiful house number set. How could I say no? How timely! How wonderful!

This is what RamSign is offering: One house number sign (not name signs or address plaques). There are signs available from 1 digit and up to 5 digits and with five different styles: Metropolitan, Highlander, Arrowhead, Lighthouse or Engelhardt. Just check out a style that you would enjoy. (Don't mention a number as that will be settled when you win.)

What do you have to do to qualify? Nothing more than leave a comment here about which sign you would enjoy having. That's it. Feel free to comment about it on your blog just because you want to help me out, but it's not required. Feel free to follow me yadda...yadda...yadda, but it's not required. Let's keep it easy-peasy. Blogging as it should be.

feel free to snag (if you'd like) and link back to this post

This delightful giveaway is open to all readers wherever you may be. Shipping is free, courtesy of RamSign.

A drawing will be held a week and one day from now—August 4, 2011. Comments will close at 7 p.m. on that date. A winner will be announced August 5, 2011.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A little pot holder project that Sam and I worked on together in my very cool sewing room last week when it was 102F. It's a little transfer onto white cotton of his drawing of vases of flowers for his mama. This week, he'll get to take it home. I think she'll like it.

***

Thus concludes today's sweetness and light at A Haven... That's because I want to vent a bit about Sunday afternoon on the island. As I mentioned in comments on my last post, it could be any island in Maine. There are over two thousand to choose from. ;>

Anyway, I had a cute email from a blogging buddy who wanted to know what I had against children. Why absolutely nothing! I love children, had two of my own, taught for over seventeen years, and so I wish to defend myself.

This is the story: there was a family group on a public beach behaving rather badly. Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm going to blame their father who was behaving the worst of all. The children were between the ages of eight and sixteen and were three girls and a boy and, when we arrived, they were all swimming. Even their dog, a lab, was swimming. They were laughing and having fun and all was fine until their father began to yell, "Shark! Shark!"

Now there are no sharks in this harbor (if one is out twenty miles into the ocean, it's possible, but rare). With the father's yelling, the kids got wound up and began screaming. Then one began hollering, "I'm drowning! I'm drowning!" Mother stood benignly on the shore watching. Her husband was behaving like a nutcase, and now all her kids had fallen apart. I can't say as I blame her for being stoic and silent. What was she going to do? Add her voice to the din? Personally, I might have taken a long walk.

That's when I shot John this look: = / and we headed over the trail.

And I can't blame young people as the only ones who indulge in inappropriate public behavior. For in less than half an hour, we were shopping in a well known tourist trap when we came upon an older man and an equally older woman in the back corner. I skippered on out of there, but not before I heard him say in a low, husky voice, "Oh, Claire, Claire, you're the girl for me." She responded with giggles and then squeaked, "I've got to find the ladies' room."

That's when I shot John this look: = | and we headed for the register.

Perhaps I'll just take the philosophic approach knowing that it all makes for blog fodder, but somehow I feel as if a certain gentility is slipping away.

P.S. I would like to thank A Woman Who Is for revealing how to make the shocked, annoyed, whatever expression with an equal sign and a back slash. ☺ It's going to prove very useful.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

A much cooler and less humid day today so it was very nice to get away and spend the afternoon at the coast. Most photos are shot from the car as we drove slowly with island traffic. We did stop for a few minutes to smell the ocean breezes, though the chatter and clamor of noisy, arguing children drove us off. Kids! ☺

Linking to Mary at Little Red House. As always, even if I forget, thank you, Mary, for hosting Mosaic Monday. It's a highlight of my week!

The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul. He is not sensitive nor selfish nor tempermental. What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year. He is not hard to please, though He may be hard to satisfy. He expects of us only what He Himself first supplied. He is quick to mark every simple effort to please Him, and just as quick to overlook imperfections when He knows we meant to do His will. He loves us for ourselves and values our love more than galaxies of new created worlds...

Some of us are religiously jumpy and self-conscious because we know that God sees our every thought and is acquainted with all our ways. We need not be . God is the sum of all patience and the essence of kindly good will. We please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections, and believing that He understands everything and loves us still. ~A.W. Tozer

God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness. Titus 2:11–14 The Message

Saturday, July 23, 2011

It's the heat I'm sure, but my frustrations with Blogger are at the boiling point. I've been wandering around in Blogger help for nearly an hour, which is NO help at all. A. complete. waste. of. time.

My habit is to postdate, writing at my leisure in the evening and setting the time for a little after seven the following morning for the post to publish. Every day this week there have been troubles. I've lost two posts requiring me to start over from scratch, had to delete a post because the page appeared empty and had been saved as a draft (not postdated), and have been unable to do any edits at all getting some dreaded error message. (bX-kOwhgz)

Yes, I've given feedback. This will take time for the powers-that-be to track down. In the meantime, I would like to revert back to "Old Editor," but it has disappeared from my settings page. I've looked and looked on my dashboard hoping to find it somewhere...nope. I'm about wigged out so am just reporting in to say that I am over and out until things get righted around.

***

It is with great pleasure that I can say "EDITED TO ADD:"

I have found my way home. Why am I shedding a tear over this? Gheesh. Anyway, I have found my way home to my former dashboard where my reading list awaits and all seems right with the world. For any of you struggling in the wilderness, I did this not by finding anything on that rotten new dashboard, but by going to http://draft.blogger.com/home. Presumably, you'll find your own blog there and not mine.

See that big red dot? There's a box to unclick right there, which is what I did. Oh how beautiful my former home looked to me!

Dear Blogger~

You know that I love you, which is why, when you fail, I feel so very disappointed. You have MUCH MORE WORK to do on this new dashboard thing before you expect to force us all into using it.

Friday, July 22, 2011

That is what I'm hearing in my head as I work on granny squares and an afghan through the hottest days of summer. This is not a "normal" afghan; this is the mother of all granny squares. I began yesterday morning and this is how it turned out by evening.

Morning's photo shows about 12 rows done and evening's about 20. I have always wondered if one could make a giant granny square afghan. Of course! Lots of images can be found of them. I even found a lovely one *here* at Purl Bee. I'd love to make one using such lovely colors. My yarn was a regift from my niece who was helping me clean out the garage back along. I am using that yarn up and getting it out of storage. This is an acrylic high loft yarn, washer and dryer safe, and a bit tricky to work with, though my large crochet hook works well. It kept me beautifully warm yesterday, a 92F day. ☺

I really must switch over to embroidery for the remainder of summer. More about that project another day.

***

Last Friday, Sam wanted to wash his bike and then he washed John's car, too. That worked out so well that I wonder if he'd like to do that again this week...

***

A new daylily is blooming. I remember when my children were small and I'd get a particular thrill from hearing their voices first thing in the morning. It was exciting to go get them up for the day. That's the same feeling I'm having with my little garden. It's new every morning and I love seeing what's going on each day.

And how are you weathering the heat? (And for all those in the Pacific Northwest, how are you weathering the damp and chill?)